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Live updates: Bishop Amat 31, Notre Dame 14

Game StoryBy Fred J. Robledo, Staff Writer
Forget all that talk about wild-card scenarios and three-way coin flips, Bishop Amat took care of business the old-fashioned way — on the field. It was almost surreal how easy it happened, with Bishop Amat coach Steve Hagerty shaking his head trying to come up with the right words, then giving up, glancing over at his players like a proud father. To continue, click thread

Through sheer force, the Lancers willed their way past the CIF-Southern Section Pac-5 Division’s fourth-ranked Sherman Oaks Notre Dame, routing the Knights 31-14 in front of a packed house at Kiefer Stadium, and improving to a perfect 10-0 at home in the
two-years since Hagerty took over.

“I’ll figure out how we did it later, I’m so proud that these guys could be in a game like this and experience this feeling,” Hagerty said. “It wasn’t about skill, it was about their will. Did we want it enough? Our kids have always responded to that stuff, and tonight you saw it all come together.”

After entering the evening needing a victory to keep their playoff hopes in check, the Lancers (9-1, 2-1) ended up sharing the Serra League title with the Knights (8-2, 2-1) for the first time since joining the league in 2002. But because of their head-to-head victory
over the Knights and Crespi’s 41-37 loss to Loyola, which drops the Celts (5-5, 1-2) to third, the Lancers will enter the Pac-5 playoffss as the league’s top entry.

“We got a home game,” Hagerty said. “I don’t care who it is, but we like playing at our place.”

Not bad for a team that was on the verge of not making the playoffs when the night started, and they did it against a team that had averaged over 50 points on them the past three years.

“I had a great feeling about this because we practice like we play,” safety Davis Cazares said. “It’s been a long time coming. We did what we set out to do tonight, it feels great to be part of the team that won a league championship.”

In actuality, it wasn’t even that close.

Lancers quarterback Jerry McClanahan threw for 277 yards and a touchdown, and junior running back Jay Anderson had the best game of his young career, rushing for 215 yards and three touchdowns, wearing the Knights down in the second half on six-and-seven yard methodical runs.

“That’s what coach said to do, a little at a time, a little at a time,” Anderson said. “He said if we take care of the small things, the rest will take care of itself.”

Anderson’s 10-yard run, and McClanahan’s nine-yard pass to Rio Ruiz kept a big third-quarter drive going. It eventually set up Anderson’s four-yard touchdown run, giving the Lancers a 17-7 lead with 8:19 left in the third.

After scoring on a seven-yard touchdown, Anderson put the game away for good with an 11-yard touchdown with 1:07 left, giving the Lancers a 31-7 lead.

Notre Dame quarterback Ryan Kasdorf threw for 221 yards and scored on a one-yard touchdown late, but the Lancers sacked him five times, and held running back Kenneth Boggs to just three yards and seven carries.

Even though McClanahan suffered four first-half sacks, he kept firing, throwing a 47-yard touchdown pass to Darien Johnson that was called back for holding. But two plays later, they went deep again, with McClanahan throwing a 45-yard touchdown to Rio Ruiz, who dove into the left corner of the endzone for a 10-0 lead with 4:19 left to the break.

It was almost a perfect 24 minutes for the Lancers until the Knights got back in it late, going 85 yards on seven plays. Knights quarterback Ryan Kasdorf threw a 40-yard pass over the middle to Patrick Dayao for a touchdown with 27 seconds left, giving the
Lancers just a 10-7 lead at half. It was the first time the Knights offense moved past midfield.

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